Both of his guns misfired, and he was also hit with a cane

On January 30, 1835, Richard Lawrence, an unemployed house painter, attempted the first presidential assassination against Andrew Jackson. On a cold and wet day, Lawrence strategically stationed himself behind one of the Capitol Building’s entrance pillars and silently waited as people gathered at the end of Representative Warren Davis’s funeral. [i]

Upon exiting the Capitol’s East Portico, Lawrence suddenly approached the President, pulling a small Derringer pistol from his pocket. He quickly leveled the weapon toward Jackson, aiming it directly at his chest, and pulled the trigger. [ii]

To the shock of the witnesses, the gun misfired and failed to discharge the bullet. President Jackson quickly took action with remarkable agility, lunging forward with his walking cane raised high over his head. A scuffle ensued, with Lawrence attempting to defend himself against the President’s blows. [ii]

Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Lawrence drew a second pistol

He aimed it carefully at President Jackson, and pulled the trigger in the midst of the scuffle. Miraculously, the gun misfired despite having odds of 1:125,000 to fire properly. [iii]

Bystanders quickly intervened, and President Jackson was rushed away from the scene. After the incident, both weapons were tested and were found to “fire afterward without fail, carrying their bullets true.” [iii]

This may have been due to the fact that the gunpowder or the gun’s mechanisms were affected by the moisture in the air or the moisture on the hands of Lawrence. [iii]

Lawrence was quickly restrained and arrested. Although the assassination attempt was unsuccessful, it shocked America and alerted the government to the need for better security for the President and other officials. [iv]

It became overwhelmingly obvious during Lawrence’s trial that he was mentally unstable and suffering from a mental illness.

However, despite the evidence of his mental state, there were still rumors and accusations that Lawrence was actually a hired assassin. [iv]

People began to speculate that he had been paid to carry out the crime, although there was no evidence to back up those claims. [iv]

Some even believed that he was part of a larger conspiracy and that a group of people had orchestrated the crime. But, in the end, all of these theories and suspicions proved unfounded, and the facts spoke for themselves, showing that Lawrence was insane.[iv]

At the same time, President Jackson was convinced that there was a political motivation behind the attack on his life. He believed that George Poindexter had been a key figure in the conspiracy and that his political opponents had orchestrated the attempt on his life in a desperate attempt to gain public sympathy. [iv]

Jackson was determined to uncover the truth of the matter and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Despite the accusations leveled against him, Jackson remained resolute in his determination to uncover the truth and bring the conspirators to justice. [iv]

Despite the accusations of wrongdoing brought against him by President Jackson, John Poindexter was eventually exonerated of all charges. [v]

Unfortunately, the damage had been done, and Poindexter was unable to retain his seat in the following election. Meanwhile, Robert Lawrence, the other accused party, was found not guilty due to his mental instability at the time of the incident. [v]

Lawrence’s delusions were varied and far-reaching. He believed that President Andrew Jackson had killed his father and that he himself was an incarnation of the 15th-century English king, Richard III. [vi]

He also believed he was entitled to payments from his American colonies, which were an extension of his royal lineage. After his trial, Lawrence was committed to an insane asylum, where he would spend the remainder of his life. [vi]

Watch the video below to learn more about President Andrew Jackson.